Earth Day DocArts Event Illustrates the Correlation Between War and Ecocide

On Earth Day, April 22nd, WSUV hosted its final DocArts (Documentary Arts Initiative) event of the spring semester, “War, Ecocide, and Feeding Creative Resistance Through Art.” 

The event opened with clips from WSUV Professor and founding member and director for Social and Environmental Justice, Desiree Hellegers’ web series, “How I Learned to Breathe Thru the Apocalypse.” The series was based on notes taken during a 30-day Buddhist retreat in 2005 where they revisited their childhood growing up Catholic during the Cold War and Vietnam War. Hellegers and WSUV English alum, Derya Ruggles co-produced the series alongside associate director and Open Signal Community Media Center cohort facilitator, Melissa Salazar. 

Through a blend of humor, archival footage, and personal reflection, the web series explored the struggle to confront overwhelming realities without turning away. These themes were grounded in lived experience through President of Veterans for Peace Chapter 72, Dan Shea’s testimony.  

Shea recounted his deployment to Vietnam and the lasting legacy of Agent Orange. Describing his experience as “a dance with death,” he reflected on the harm it inflicted on his own family, including the loss of his young son.  

He connected his personal story to the broader global reality, saying, “it’s a tragic story, but it’s one of millions of war veterans’ families, parents of US vets, of Vietnamese parents, of Palestinian parents burying their children, [and] of families in Iran. Forever the wars continue to rain hell on innocent civilians.”  

Shea described visiting sites in Vietnam during a peace tour he attended last month where children continue to suffer from Agent Orange’s effects, highlighting how the consequences of war persist across generations. 

 He draws parallels between Vietnam and present-day conflicts, highlighting similar patterns of environmental devastation. As Shea puts it, “War does not merely coexist with the climate crisis; it accelerates it. … Every dollar committed to war is a dollar unavailable for rebuilding poisoned communities, treating exposure-related illnesses, or preparing cities for heat, fire, floods, and drought.”  

Shea urged for political action by encouraging support for stronger environmental protections and legislation addressing the ongoing impacts of Agent Orange. He concluded by sharing his poem, “I Can’t Breathe,” which describes the overwhelming anguish and fear felt amid endless wars and global climate crisis.